La Habra Boulevard Specific Plan

La Habra Boulevard, formally called Central Avenue, is the historical main corridor of the City of La Habra, running east to west from border to border.  This thoroughfare was in existence when the City was incorporated in 1925 and served as the hub of the community and the central business district for over forty years.  

With the build-out of wider parallel thoroughfares that include Whittier Boulevard and Imperial Highway, the importance and activity on La Habra Boulevard diminished thereby creating blighting conditions along La Habra Boulevard.  To counter this situation and encourage the rejuvenation of the corridor, in 1975, the La Habra City Council adopted the Plan for Downtown Redevelopment. 

This plan was followed by the Council’s adoption of the La Habra Boulevard Specific Plan in 1988, which was amended in 1999 and codified in 2007, and amended thereafter, as Chapter 18.44 of the La Habra Municipal Code. In 2016, the map of the Plan area was subsequently amended to reflect land use designations in the City’s comprehensive update of its General Plan. 

This area was also analyzed as a SCAG Compass Blueprint Project in 2008, and design concepts for La Habra Boulevard were included in the City’s 2019 Complete Streets Master Plan. In October 2022, Staff provided a presentation to City Council outlining these efforts and the projects that have been subsequently implemented.

Links to the above-mentioned documents and other relevant planning materials are provided below.

• LA HABRA BOULEVARD SPECIFIC PLAN MAP
• CHAPTER 18.44 SP-1 LA HABRA BOULEVARD SPECIFIC PLAN ZONE
• 1975 PLAN FOR DOWNTOWN REDEVELOPMENT
• 1988 LA HABRA SPECIFIC PLAN
• 1999 LA HABRA SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENT
• 2016 LA HABRA SPECIFIC PLAN AMENDMENT
• COMPASS BLUEPRINT FINAL REPORT
• COMPLETE STREETS MASTER PLAN
• POLICY GUIDELINES FOR ENCROACHMENT PERMITS
• BOULEVARD OF THE BELLS BOOKLET
• 2022 CITY COUNCIL PRESENTATION

The City now desires to proceed with a project to conduct an evaluation of the past effectiveness of these planning efforts, and current and projected market conditions, that will result in recommended improvements, including, but not limited to, amendments to the La Habra Boulevard Specific Plan. In an effort to spread the word about the La Habra Boulevard Specific Plan Update, staff prepared a flyer (in both English and Spanish) which can be downloaded by clicking on the following:

It has been the City of La Habra Community Development Department's desire to encourage as many people as possible to participate in the Specific Plan's preparation in order to bring multiple perspectives to the planning process and the Specific Plan itself.

In October 2023, the City’s consultant, MIG, held the first group interviews with stakeholders from various community organizations and conducted focus group meetings with representatives from the development community. A summary of the stakeholder's interview responses can be viewed at:

To help examine the more technical aspects of the Specific Plan, the City formed a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) comprised of representatives from the La Habra Collaborative, La Habra Chamber of Commerce, La Habra Historical Society, Washington Middle School, County of Orange-La Habra Branch Library, Orange County Transportation Authority, La Habra Community and Economic Development, La Habra Community Services, La Habra Public Works/Engineering and the La Habra Police Department.

A TAC meeting was held on December 13, 2023 at which TAC members rolled up their sleeves to take a closer look at aerial maps of the La Habra corridor. TAC members were asked to envision the future and specify what qualities related to land uses, urban design/streetscape and transportation components that they believe would make La Habra Boulevard a great place to be. TAC members were able to discuss what they viewed as potential strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, if any of the TAC members wished to provide additional comments at a later date, they were given the opportunity to utilize an online mural page, where they could view the same aerial maps again and post their additional feedback. To view the TAC’s online mural page, go to: https://app.mural.co/t/migjc9597/m/migjc9597/1705710664558/b1692ef9b058c492961cd738a5132e7d74d36afd

Planning Commission and City Council Study Sessions 

MIG Consulting, LLC, presented potential design concepts for the La Habra Boulevard Specific Plan update to the Planning Commission on March 24, 2025 and the City Council on March 31, 2025. Both the Planning Commission and City Council initially considered potential design concepts that involved the three focus areas highlighted on the map below.

A second study session was conducted for both the Planning Commission and City Council on July 28, 2025. MIG consultants presented highlights of the latest preferred plan based on the input received from the La Habra community. MIG consultants also described the potential urban design features, land uses and public street improvements within six distinct districts contemplated along the La Habra Boulevard Corridor to create a more vibrant, walkable downtown as shown on the following map.

The Planning Commission and City Council were also generally supportive of the updates made to date. As a result, MIG consultants has commenced refining the La Habra Boulevard Specific Plan by further building on the preferred plan concepts.  

What are the next steps?